September 2007
Monthly Archive
11 Sep 2007 07:09 am
Author Discounts the Value of English as a Second Language Programs
| As a boy, Ernesto Caravantes struggled to learn English in grade school, until a teacher told his parents it was vital to his success. Little Ernesto’s parents began speaking to him only in English, and after several years of hard work, he rose from the bottom of his class to the top. He eventually attended college and graduate school. Now he’s trying to spread his message of tough love to other Latino families. “It takes someone from within the community to have to bring about these things,” Caravantes said. In his new book, “Clipping Their Own Wings,” Caravantes takes a hard look at Latino culture and its intersection with the educational system in the United States. The author discourages parents from teaching their children Spanish before English at home. He also discounts the value of English as a Second Language programs for students, and encourages young Latinos to adopt American customs at school. |
 |
(more…)
search for : English as a Second Language
10 Sep 2007 06:57 am
Reno Woman Shares Her Love of Languages
 |
For Sandra Jiménez, who learned English watching “Sesame Street,” education and language are passions that she’s carried with her throughout her life. “For me, speaking English as a second language or being bilingual has been always close to my heart because I was a second-language learner at one time and now I am a second-language educator,” Jiménez said. This year, Jimenez is taking over as director and principal at the dual-language charter school, Mariposa Academy of Language and Learning. The daughter of migrant workers, Jiménez came to the United States from Penamaxtlán, Jalisco, Mexico, when she was a year old. When she was 6 years old she went on vacation to Mexico and ended up staying there for two years. |
(more…)
search for : English as a second language
09 Sep 2007 07:47 am
Comunidad offers Spanish interpreter training In Craig, Colorado
| Until there is an adult English as a Second Language class, Spanish speakers need interpreters to help them with essential components of day-to-day life, such as doctor visits and parent/teacher conferences, said Maria Martin, Comunidad Integrada program coordinator. Comunidad Integrada is conducting an interpreter training session at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association in Craig Colorado , 745 Russell St., in the Silver Room on the main floor. Interpreter training is for anyone who is already fluent in another language. Comunidad Integrada is looking at high school students who take Spanish or English as a Second Language classes and Spanish language teachers as people who could qualify. |
 |
(more…)
08 Sep 2007 08:26 am
ESL Classes Begin in the San Jacinto School System
 |
Mountain View High School in San Jacinto will begin offering English as a Second Language classes begin next week. Connie Sanzberro is the ESL instructor at Mountain View High School in San Jacinto. She said that last year, the enrollment was 26 students from various backgrounds and countries. The age of the students ranged from 18 to the 70s. Said Sanzberro on the most important reason to learn English: “Opportunity!” She said that learning English offers the opportunity to earn money and to help the children of those taking the class. She said it opens up a whole new world to the students. Enrollment is being taken now, but students may enroll in the class at any time during the school year. |
(more…)
07 Sep 2007 07:36 am
Hispanic students adjust, thrive at Cooper Elementary
| Ten years ago, Cooper’s Hispanic population was at 7 percent of total school enrollment, Principal Julie Jailall said. The black student population, at about 30 percent of total enrollment, has stayed about the same, she said. “Our Hispanic population in another five years will be our second-largest student group,” Jailall said. Last year, the number of Hispanics in grades three through five surpassed 40 for the first time, which qualifies those students as a subgroup under No Child Left Behind, the federal education law that took effect in 2002. No Child Left Behind requires all student subgroups to demonstrate Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), a measure of growth on standardized test scores. The Hispanic subgroup at Cooper made AYP last year, Jailall said. In spite of the language barrier and in many cases, being of a lower economic class, Hispanic students are highly motivated to succeed in school, she said. |
|
(more…)
05 Sep 2007 06:17 am
Scholarships Available To Teach English As A Second Language
|
If you are a full-time University of Guam student pursuing a degree in education or a part-time student currently teaching in the Guam Public School System under an emergency or provisional certification, you are eligible to apply for the Guam English as a Second Language Certification Plus Project. According to a release yesterday, the project is seeking 30 individuals who wish to obtain dual certification in math, science, language arts, reading or Chamorro language and English as a second language, or ESL. |
(more…)
search for : University of Guam, Guam Public School System, English as a Second Language
05 Sep 2007 06:09 am
Sarasota FL youngsters are learning en Español
| Nearly everything from manners to mathematics is taught in Spanish as part of this Sarasota school’s new language immersion program, one of only a half dozen programs in Florida where young children are exposed to heavy daily doses of Español. “At this young age they can learn to speak Spanish without an accent,” said Escuza, a native Spanish speaker. “Why wait until high school or middle to teach them? It makes no sense.” These students are likely to have a competitive edge in the job market in the coming years as businesses reach out to growing numbers of multilingual customers and clients. |
|
(more…)
search for : Spanish, Spanish speaker
04 Sep 2007 07:27 am
Learning English Pays Big Dividends For The Four Points Sheraton
 |
A San Rafael California hotel deserves an “A” for offering free English classes for its employees – and paying them for the time they spent in class. Twenty workers at the Four Points Sheraton took advantage of the 10-week course designed to help employees do a better job of communicating with guests. The program was offered once a week. The hotel also paid for books and materials. As a result, the hotel is enjoying improved customer service – and more confident employees. The workers, of course, benefit from improved language skills, which makes them more valuable at work – and beyond. The hotel received help from the Marin Employment Connection, a public-private venture operated by the Marin Department of Health and Human Services and supported by the Workforce Investment Board of Marin. |
(more…)
« Previous Page — Next Page »